| Unit name | Archaic and Classical Greece |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS10071 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Knippschild |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None. |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit provides an introduction to ancient Greek history in the Archaic and Classical periods (8th century to 4th century BCE). This was a period of enormous change: over these centuries, the Greeks emerged from the so-called "Dark Age" of small-scale, scattered settlement to spread rapidly across the whole Mediterranean world from Spain to the Black Sea. They developed characteristic institutions such as the polis (city-state), and different ways of governing it: this created the conditions for the flourishing of Greek culture in the Classical period. This period also saw the Greeks' developing contacts with the Persians and other peoples, the emergence of the Athenian democracy and the Peloponnesian War, and the rise of Macedon. This unit will focus on broad questions of change and identity, considering Greek political and cultural history from the Aegean to the Peloponnese, from Asia Minor to Sicily. In studying this period, we will also begin to engage with some questions around how we go about studying ancient history at university, including research skills and the use of primary sources.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit will enable you to develop your knowledge of a central period of Greek history, including both the major historical narrative and more specialised knowledge of specific subjects. At the same time, it will also introduce you to some important questions of method relevant to ancient historical study, including research methods and resources. This will inform other units you will take in your degree, for example by giving you a grounding in a fundamental period of ancient history and asking you to think about the sources we have available for studying it, or by helping you to develop skills in contextualising and interpreting literary or visual materials.
An overview of content
We will combine a broad overview narrative of the Archaic and Classical periods with more detailed investigation of particular themes, especially around culture, cultural change, and identity. We will trace the emergence of characteristic Greek institutions such as the early polis; we will also see that these developments ran parallel to the spread of Greek culture across the Mediterranean world and beyond. We will consider the Greeks’ developing contacts with the wider Mediterranean, especially the contact with Persia which culminated in the Graeco-Persian Wars, and played a formative role in the development of Greek identity; we will also examine the political developments across the Greek world of the Classical period. Throughout, we will pay close attention to issues of how we actually go about reconstructing the complex history of this period, including in particular reading a variety of relevant and important primary sources.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of this unit?
You will have developed a good knowledge of a central period of ancient history, and begun to familiarise yourself with academic debates on the subject. You will have developed key skills as an ancient historian, including familiarising yourself with some major primary sources for Greek history in this period and issues around their interpretation: you will have built your confidence in engaging with these primary materials. You will also have begun to get to grips with some of the distinctive challenges and opportunities of studying ancient history at university, moving from studying the historical narratives and interpretations proposed by others to participating yourself in the construction of historical knowledge.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
This unit will involve a combination of independent investigative activities, long- and short-form lectures, and discussion. Students will be expected to engage with materials and participate on a weekly basis. Feedback will be provided for both formative and summative assessments, and this will be supported by meetings with tutors.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Source analysis, 500 words (20%) [ILOs 2, 4, 5]
Essay, 2,000 words (80%) [ILOs 1-5]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. CLAS10071).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
